Today innovation is everyone's business. Whether you are a manager in a global corporation, an entrepreneur starting up, in a government role, or a teacher in an elementary school, everyone is expected to get lean – to do better with less. And that is why we all need design thinking. At every level in every kind of organization, design thinking provides the tools you need to become an innovative thinker and uncover creative opportunities that are there – you're just not seeing them yet.
In this course, we provide an overview of design thinking and work with a model containing four key questions and several tools to help you understand design thinking as a problem solving approach. We also look at several stories from different organizations that used design thinking to uncover compelling solutions.
Design Thinking for Innovation
Offered By
Design Thinking for Innovation
University of Virginia
About this Course
4.6
2,177 ratings
What you will learn
What design thinking is and when to use it
How to prepare to see and take action when opportunity arises
How to use design thinking to generate innovative ideas
How to take the many ideas you generate and determine which ones are likely to produce specific, desired outcomes
Skills you will gain
Strategic ThinkingDesign ThinkingInnovation ManagementDesign ManagementInnovation
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week
1What Is Design Thinking?
Welcome to the course -- we're excited you're here! We will begin by unpacking what we mean by design thinking and why it is more effective than traditional methods when the goal is innovation. By looking at the case history of The Good Kitchen, a Denmark program for providing meals for the elderly, we will explore how the mindset and practice of the innovation team that partnered with innovation consultant Hatch & Bloom enabled them to achieve innovation and growth. We’ll also examine what kinds of challenges are best-suited for design thinking and learn about the Visualization tool, which helps bring ideas to life. By the end of this module, you'll have a better understanding of what we mean by design thinking, when to use it, and how to use the Visualization tool.
6 videos (Total 59 min), 2 readings
6 videos
What Is Design Thinking? Hear from the Experts13m
The Good Kitchen Story14m
Business Model Innovation5m
Challenges Best-Suited for Design Thinking4m
Visualization Tool7m
2 readings
Course Overview10m
Learning Community10m
Week
2Preparing Your Mind for Innovation
Design thinking is not only about process and tools, it is about people as well: about you as a design thinker and about the people you want to create value for and with. And so, before we jump into the process of using design thinking to generate and test ideas, we want to first focus on your mindset, and look at whether your mind is prepared to both see and act on opportunity when it shows up in your world. We will examine this issue by looking at the stories of two very capable managers, George and Geoff, and how their differing mindsets affect their ability to lead innovation and growth. We'll also learn about the value of the Storytelling tool. By the end of this module, you'll have a better understanding of a mind prepared to see and take action when opportunity arises, and how to use the Storytelling tool.
4 videos (Total 56 min)
4 videos
The Story of George & Geoff23m
How Prepared Is Your Mind?6m
Storytelling Tool7m
Week
3Idea Generation
Now we will dive deeper into the design thinking process, looking at how we can use it to generate better ideas. In this module, we will look at the story of an entrepreneur, Chris Cartter, and his start-up, MeYouHealth, as they worked with Boston design firm, Essential Design, to understand the kind of opportunity that social networking might hold for helping us to improve our health. Examining what already exists is the first step in the design thinking process. As part of assessing "what is?", designers “follow the customer home” and explore the problems they are trying to solve in life versus their product use. Once they have thoroughly explored and looked for patterns, designers look toward the future and ask "what if?" This is the creative part of the process, but it also requires a disciplined approach. By the end of this module, you'll understand how to use design thinking to generate innovative ideas, how to apply the "what is?" and "what if?" questions, and how to use the Mind Mapping tool.
4 videos (Total 37 min)
4 videos
The MeYouHealth Story Part I: What Is?12m
The MeYouHealth Story Part II: What If?9m
Mind Mapping Tool10m
Week
4Experimentation
Having generated all of these innovative ideas, what’s next? The design thinking process now helps us to take the many ideas we have generated and figure out how to determine which ones are likely to produce the specific kinds of outcomes we want, whether these take the form of improved nutrition for the elderly (e.g., The Good Kitchen), healthier lifestyle choices (e.g., MeYouHealth) or even more “hot leads” emanating from your trade shows (as in the IBM example to follow). In this module, we will follow the activities of an IBM team working closely with experience marketing agency George P. Johnson as they develop and test ideas for a revolutionary approach to trade show participation. This process begins by asking "what wows?". This question brings together the customer and business cases supporting our new concepts. Typically, the “wow” zone occurs at the intersection of three criteria: 1) somebody wants it, 2) we can create and deliver it, and 3) doing so has the potential to produce the outcomes we want. Then we ask "what works?" and conduct small experiments to test if our assumptions are accurate. By the end of this module, you'll understand how to apply the "what wows?" and "what works?" questions, and how to use the Learning Launch tool. We'll conclude by reviewing our lessons and discussing strategic opportunities.
5 videos (Total 55 min)
5 videos
The IBM Story14m
Learning Launch Tool16m
Reviewing Our Lessons4m
Strategic Opportunities15m
Instructor
Jeanne M. Liedtka
United Technologies Corporation Professor of Business AdministrationDarden School of Business
About University of Virginia
A premier institution of higher education, The University of Virginia offers outstanding academics, world-class faculty, and an inspiring, supportive environment. Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, the University is guided by his vision of discovery, innovation, and development of the full potential of students from all walks of life. Through these courses, global learners have an opportunity to study with renowned scholars and thought leaders.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
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